Department for Transport

Shipping: Carbon Emissions

Lord Mountevans: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the level of economic development that investing in maritime decarbonisation will provide to the UK’s coastal communities.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department has made no assessment of the potential effect on coastal communities of providing Government funding for maritime decarbonisation. However, in 2019, alongside the Clean Maritime Plan, the Department published an assessment which identified that low and zero emissions shipping could result in potential economic benefits to the UK of around £360-£510 million per year by the middle of the century.Maritime UK has published its views that investment in maritime decarbonisation could in future create jobs in all four nations of the United Kingdom, particularly in coastal communities with a tradition of maritime economic activity, including shipbuilding.Industry research estimates that in 2017 the UK maritime sector as a whole directly supported more than 220,000 jobs for UK employees.

Shipping: Carbon Emissions

Lord Mountevans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to invest further in maritime decarbonisation, following on from the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Spending review launched on 7 September by the Chancellor of the Exchequer will conclude alongside an Autumn Budget on 27 October. It would be premature for me to comment on any plans for further investment in maritime decarbonisation before a settlement has been agreed.

Great British Railways

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their timetable for introducing legislation to establish Great British Railways; when they expect the organisation will be operational; and whether they expect to introduce intermediate arrangements with train operating companies until it is established.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Legislation to establish Great British Railways (GBR) will be introduced when the Parliamentary timetable allows. A confirmed date will be announced in due course. In the interim, the GBR Transition Team has been mobilised by Andrew Haines, alongside his current role as CEO of Network Rail, fulfilling the Plan for Rail’s commitment to start interim arrangements immediately. The Transition Team will be responsible for driving forward reforms and creating the railway’s new guiding mind. There is much we can do to deliver benefits to passengers ahead of legislation.   To this end, the transition from the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements (ERMAs, introduced in September 2020) to new National Rail Contracts is underway. These contracts will strengthen and build on existing cooperation arrangements in the ERMAs and represent a ‘bridge’ to the new Passenger Service Contracts.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Vacancies

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the shortage of HGV drivers on the gritting of roads during the forthcoming winter.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Section 41(1A) of the Highways Act 1980 places a duty on local authorities to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice. It is the local authority’s responsibility to ensure that there are adequate drivers available to carry out gritting. Alongside the interventions that Government has made to mitigate any possible HGV driver shortage, the DfT is working closely with local authorities and stakeholder bodies such as ADEPT and will be monitoring the capacity of local authorities with respect to driver numbers over the winter period.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Vacancies

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential shortage of gritter drivers in winter 2021–22; and what plans they have to address any such shortage.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Section 41(1A) of the Highways Act 1980 places a duty on local authorities to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice. It is the local authority’s responsibility to ensure that there are adequate drivers available to carry out gritting. Alongside the interventions that Government has made to mitigate any possible HGV driver shortage, the DfT is working closely with local authorities and stakeholder bodies such as ADEPT and will be monitoring the capacity of local authorities with respect to driver numbers over the winter period.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to create a comprehensive UK-wide electric vehicle charging network by 2028.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is investing £1.3 billion to accelerate the roll out of charging infrastructure over the next four years. We are targeting this support on rapid chargepoints on motorways and major roads, and installing more on-street chargepoints near homes and workplaces to make charging as easy as refuelling a petrol or diesel car. Later this year Government will publish our EV Infrastructure Strategy. This will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK. It will also set out the action plan for charging infrastructure rollout to ensure this is delivered at the pace needed to achieve the 2030/35 phase out successfully and to accelerate the transition to a zero-emission car and van fleet. We will set out our next steps to address barriers to private investment, level up charge point provision, and regulate to protect consumers.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Licences

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many HGV licences are currently suspended pending a decision by the relevant Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency medical board.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: On 14 October, 2,052 vocational drivers were awaiting a decision after having reapplied for driving entitlement that had previously been revoked or an application had been refused on medical grounds. It is not possible to determine how many of these are specifically for HGV driving entitlement.

Railway Stations: Cambridge

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of the planned Cambridge South railway station and the projected demand, given the developments in the area.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: We have undertaken passenger forecasting in line with the Government’s Transport Appraisal Guidance, as well as station capacity analysis in line with rail industry standards. On this basis, we are confident the proposed Cambridge South station would support the continued growth and development of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and its surrounding area.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Natural Gas: Russia

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Russia concerning gas supplies.

Lord Callanan: The UK benefits from diverse sources of gas supply, including domestic production, pipeline imports from reliable suppliers like Norway, and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG).

Antisocial Behaviour: Young People

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 21 September (HL2514) regarding anti-loitering devices known as Mosquito devices, what requirements must be met before they are installed.

Lord Callanan: The safety of acoustic anti-loitering devices, commonly known as Mosquito devices, is regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 and other product specific laws, such as the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations. These provide a baseline of safety for applicable products, requiring that only safe products, in their normal or reasonably foreseeable usage, can be placed on the market.The laws place obligations on producers, manufacturers, importers and distributors to ensure consumers are provided with safety information including instructions for assembly, installation and maintenance.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hospital Wards: Gender

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 29 September (HL2490), whether organisations that work on men's violence against women and girls will be consulted as part of the review of NHS England and NHS Improvement’s guidance, 'Delivering same-sex accommodation'.

Lord Kamall: The review of the guidance will include a six-week engagement period, during which all relevant stakeholders, including organisations that work on men’s violence against women and girls and gender critical organisations, will have the opportunity to contribute.

Hospital Wards: Gender

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Kamall on 29 September (HL2490), whether they plan to consult gender critical organisations in the review of mixed sex accommodation guidance.

Lord Kamall: The review of the guidance will include a six-week engagement period, during which all relevant stakeholders, including organisations that work on men’s violence against women and girls and gender critical organisations, will have the opportunity to contribute.

Health Services: Females

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the NHS refers to "women" whenever appropriate in its publications and clinical guidance.

Lord Kamall: It is for individual National Health Service organisations to decide on the format and content of any publications or clinical guidance they produce, taking into account any legislative requirements or examples of good practice. NHS England and NHS Improvement refer to ‘women’ in their publications and clinical guidance where appropriate.

Influenza: Vaccination

Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all dentists are eligible for free influenza vaccinations.

Lord Kamall: Dentists are eligible for a free flu vaccine through occupational health arrangements made by their employer. Flu vaccination is recommended for all frontline healthcare workers who have direct contact with patients and service users. Employers should commission a service which makes access easy for all frontline staff, encourage staff to get vaccinated and monitor the delivery of their programmes.

NHS: Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund permanent surge capacity in the NHS to manage significant increases in demand.

Lord Kamall: There are no such plans to separately fund permanent surge capacity. National Health Service funding to meet total patient demand is being agreed as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Disability: Children

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Disabled Children’s Partnership The Gap Widens, published on 14 October, which found that the funding gap in disabled children’s health and social care had increased to £2.1 billion.

Lord Kamall: Although no specific assessments have been made, we are working with the Department for Education and NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve the provision of health and care services for disabled children.On 6 September, we announced an additional £5.4 billion for the National Health Service over the next six months, bringing the total Government support for health services in response to COVID-19 to over £34 billion in 2021/22. This includes £2 billion to reduce waiting times for patients, including disabled children. Councils have access to £51.3 billion to deliver core services, including a £1.7 billion grant for social care. To support local areas, we have provided over £6 billion in un-ringfenced funding directly to councils for the immediate and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 spending pressures, including for children’s social care.

Social Services: Finance

Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each year from 2014, how many people used deferred payment schemes that enable older people to avoid sellingtheir houses to pay for care.

Lord Kamall: The data is not available in the format requested. From 2015 NHS Digital collected data the number of new Deferred Payment Agreements (DPAs) agreed during the year and the total number of outstanding DPAs at the end of the year on a voluntary basis. In 2016-17 the collection became part mandatory and later fully mandatory in 2017-18. However, this data does not include the total number of DPAs concluded, therefore does not confirm how many people used a DPA on an annual basis.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the NHS refers to "women" when sending out invitations for cervical screening, as proposed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in his speech on 5 October.

Lord Kamall: The invitation letter for a cervical screening appointment and the information available online states that ‘cervical screening is for women and people with a cervix’. This wording has been tested with users and there are a range of measures to ensure that as many of the population eligible for cervical screening as possible attend screening. This includes providing appointments in sexual health clinics and information and resources to reassure those worried about attending.

Health Services: Gender Recognition

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that debates in the NHS over transgender rights are conducted with "compassion and sensitivity", as proposed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in his speech on 5 October.

Lord Kamall: The National Health Service provides care to all people regardless of their gender identity and we are working with the NHS to ensure that the rights of all groups are protected. Discussions on transgender care take place professionally, where all views are considered and where the focus is on delivering improved healthcare outcomes.

Health Services: Equality

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government when NHS England's Unified Information Standard on Protected Characteristics report will be published; and what engagement with stakeholders will take place before its publication.

Lord Kamall: NHS England and NHS Improvement have submitted the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics scoping project reports to the Department.We are currently reviewing the recommendations of the reports and will provide an update shortly. We are also considering continued engagement with stakeholders who contributed to the development of the scoping project.

Influenza: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to make the flu vaccination programme permanent for the over 50s age group.

Lord Kamall: Advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) noted that it was advisable to continue the vaccination of the 50 to 64-year-old cohort as these individuals are at greater risk of being hospitalised as a result of COVID-19 and co-infection with flu is likely to be more severe. However, no decision has been made about whether the eligibility of this cohort will be made permanent.

Travel: Coronavirus

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide a date for when mandatory PCR tests for foreign travel will be stopped.

Lord Kamall: We keep our travel testing regime under constant review to ensure it provides adequate protection against risks at the border. From 24 October, fully vaccinated passengers and most aged under 18 years old arriving in England from countries not on the ‘red list’ can take a lateral flow test, instead of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, on or before day two of their arrival into the United Kingdom. These tests can be booked from 22 October. A date for when mandatory PCR tests for arrivals from ‘red list’ countries will be stopped is not yet available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that (1) PCR, and (2) other COVID-19 test providers listed on the gov.uk website, provide accurate information regarding prices for those tests; and to whom should consumers direct any complaints about inaccurate price descriptions.

Lord Kamall: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has a robust process to ensure that prices and information listed on GOV.UK are accurate. All price changes must be submitted to UKHSA which are reviewed for accuracy and providers’ listed pricing must be consistent with the final price that a customer pays. Any provider found to have inaccurate pricing on two separate occasions will be removed from GOV.UK.

Department for Education

Pupils: Absenteeism

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of school days missed in England since the start of the school year as a result of COVID-19 absence; and what steps they intend to take to assist pupils who have missed school.

Baroness Barran: The department regularly publishes the number of school days missed due to COVID-19. The most recent publication can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. On 14 October, 2.6% (209,000) of all pupils on roll in state-funded schools did not attend school for COVID-19 related reasons.Among pupils absent for COVID-19 reasons, the main reasons for absence on 14 October were: pupils with a confirmed case of COVID-19 (1.4%), and pupils with a suspected case of COVID-19 (1.0%). Overall, the attendance in state funded schools was 90.0% on 14 October, up from 89.5% on 30 September.The department has a comprehensive attendance strategy that has been implemented since the beginning of this academic year to ensure that any absence as a result of COVID-19 is minimised. We also recognise that extended school and college restrictions and absences have had a substantial impact on children and young people’s education. The department is committed to helping pupils catch up as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and has committed to an ambitious, long term recovery plan.Since June 2020, the department has announced more than £3 billion to support education recovery in schools, colleges, and nurseries. This is already making a difference and helping children to catch up. Over 500,000 children were invited to participate in summer schools, 308,000 children were reached through the National Tutoring Programme in year one, and over three-quarters (77%) of eligible 16-19 colleges in the 2020/21 academic year were allocated funds for delivering tutoring for 16–19-year-olds.Over the coming three academic years, the department has announced the extension of the 16-19 tuition fund to support the equivalent of around 2 million 15-hour courses to accelerate the progression of lower attaining students, with a total investment of £324 million over the next three years.The department has also dedicated over £950 million worth of additional funding for catch-up in schools. Through the one-off catch-up premium, schools have already received £650 million worth of funding during the 2020/2021 academic year and the new one-off recovery premium which will provide over £300 million worth of funding during the 2021/2022 academic year. The recovery premium allocations have also now been published: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-recovery-premium-funding-allocations. Allocations are weighted so that schools with more disadvantaged pupils receive more funding.Recovery programmes have been designed to allow nursery, school and college leaders the flexibility to support those pupils most in need, including the most disadvantaged. The department is investing in high quality tutoring and great teaching because evidence is clear this will have a significant impact for disadvantaged children.

Secondary Education: Coronavirus

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reintroduce COVID-19 safety measures in secondary schools in light of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in younger people.

Baroness Barran: The department’s priority is for schools to deliver face to face, high quality education to all pupils. The evidence is clear that being out of education can cause significant harm to educational attainment, life chances, and mental and physical health. As COVID-19 becomes a virus that we learn to live with, there is now an imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education.While the latest data and scientific modelling suggest that cases will continue to rise as restrictions are eased, we are now in a context that has fundamentally changed due to the success of the vaccination programme.We have therefore moved away from stringent restrictions on everyone’s day-to-day lives, towards advising people on how to protect themselves and others, alongside targeted interventions to reduce risk.All young people aged 16 and 17 years have already been offered a first dose of vaccine and 12 to 17 year olds with certain medical conditions that make them more at risk of serious illness, or who are living with someone who is immunosuppressed, are eligible for 2 doses.To reduce transmission, the department is keeping some measures in place across nurseries, schools and colleges to enable us to provide as normal an experience as possible. This will be supported by our ability to respond swiftly and consistently to any exceptional circumstances should it prove necessary and may include reintroducing additional control measures for a limited period to deal with outbreaks. These are set out in the contingency framework: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings.Schools continue to have their own health and safety risk assessments and keep these under review. As part of this there are certain control measures we have asked schools to maintain in order to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. This includes ensuring good hygiene for everyone, maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes and keeping occupied spaces well ventilated.Carbon dioxide monitors have also been provided to all state-funded schools starting from September, so staff can quickly identify where ventilation needs to be improved. The government has also launched a trial of air purifiers in 30 schools in Bradford, which is designed to assess the technology in education settings and whether they could reduce the risk of transmission.The department will continue to keep these measures under review, in partnership with health experts and informed by the latest scientific evidence and advice.

Department for International Trade

Agriculture: Trade Agreements

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a framework for national food and farming standards against which any proposed Free Trade Deal could be measured, as proposed by the Trade and Agriculture Commission.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Government published its response to the report of the Trade and Agriculture Commission on 21 October. The Government response explicitly upholds and affirms the manifesto commitment to not compromise on the UK’s high food production, animal welfare and environmental standards for which our country is rightly renowned. Our response makes clear that we will not pursue any trade deals that would undermine UK farmers unfairly or compromise these high standards and that all food imports must comply with our high standards. Nor will we put consumers at risk from unsafe food which does not meet those high standards.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Departmental Responsibilities

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government where Ministerial responsibility lies in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for inclusive societies; and which Minister is responsible for ensuring that the work of the Department takes account of the rights and needs of (1) older people, and (2) people with disabilities.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, UN and the Commonwealth, is the Minister responsible for policy on open societies and Minister Morton is responsible for gender and equalities, including the rights and needs of older people and people with disabilities.

Ethiopia: Politics and Government

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations theyhave made to the government of Ethiopia regarding the expulsion of seven United Nations officials from that country.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: On 30 September the Minister for Africa called on the Government of Ethiopia to reverse the decision to expel seven United Nations Officials from the country with immediate effect. The removal of key UN personnel will have a direct impact on the ability of the international community to deliver vital humanitarian assistance. The UK's Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, Nick Dyer visited Tigray where he saw first-hand the UN's efforts to respond to this emergency. This was reiterated at the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 4 October where a joint statement was issued by the UK Ambassador to the UN on behalf of over 40 countries, and raised at the UN Security Council briefing on Ethiopia on 6 October. The Minister for Africa also raised the expulsions and situation in Ethiopia on her visit to the UN on 13 October, with many senior representatives of the UN and the three current African members of the UNSC. She urged consensus to press all parties in Ethiopia to deliver an urgent ceasefire and for a humanitarian corridor to be opened to deliver then humanitarian assistance that is urgently required.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking tosupport countries that are vulnerable to disruption caused by climate change; what discussions they have had with the government of Burundi about the impact of rising water levels of Lake Tanganyika on the displacement of people; and what support, if any, they intend to provide to that country to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We recognise that it is often the most vulnerable countries who are being hit hardest by the impact of climate change. We are clear that COP26 needs to deliver ambitious outcomes on adaptation as well as mitigation. That is why the UK has committed to doubling our climate finance for mitigation and adaptation to £11.6 billion from 2021-2025. This will help developing countries take action to tackle climate change. During discussions in June, the former Minister for Africa encouraged Burundi to engage on climate adaptation, including through COP26.

Ministry of Defence

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made with General Dynamics to recover taxpayer money from that company if the Ajax programme is terminated.

Baroness Goldie: I refer the Noble Lord to the written statement (HCWS322) made by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin) in the House of Commons on 18 October 2021.   Armoured Cavalry Programme: AJAX Update (docx, 17.9KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Industry

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking totackle the estimated 500,000 job vacancies across the food and drink sector.

Lord Benyon: Defra is working closely with the food and drink sector to understand labour demand and supply, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements. The Seasonal Workers Pilot was expanded for 2021, from 10,000 to 30,000 visas, granted for workers to come to the UK for a period of up to six months to work in the edible horticulture sector. Although pilot numbers have increased, it is not designed to meet the full labour needs of the horticultural sector. This workforce boost will complement the workers already resident in the UK and looking to take up farm work during the busy harvest months, following in the footsteps of those who took up positions last summer to help keep the nation fed despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic. In response to the current exceptional circumstances, up to 5500 poultry workers and 5000 HGV drivers transporting food and fuel will be able to enter the UK for work in the lead up to Christmas 2021. This is a temporary, emergency measure. 800 pork butchers will also be able to enter and work in the UK for a period of six months. This additional temporary adjustment is in addition to foreign butchers already being eligible since January 2021 to apply to come to the UK through the Skilled Worker Route as part of the point-based immigration system. In 2021 and beyond, businesses will continue to be able to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status. Over 5.3 million EU citizens and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme. The Government is encouraging all sectors, including the food and drink sector, to make employment more attractive to UK domestic workers through offering training, careers options, wage increases and to invest in automation technology. To help with these efforts, Defra is working with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to raise awareness of career opportunities within the food and drink sector among UK workers. All food and drink sector businesses are encouraged to advertise roles through the Find A Job website, where they can upload and manage their vacancies. DWP does not charge for this service and it is available across the United Kingdom. Defra also welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s work on the Release On Temporary Licence scheme for work across a number of sectors, including the food and drink sector. The scheme aims to help prisoners gain useful skills and work experience as they approach their release.

Food: Public Sector

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that public sector food procurement policies give priority to locally sourced food.

Lord Benyon: We want the public sector to lead by example, championing local food and farmers, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), high production standards and sustainable produce. We have a manifesto commitment to encourage the public sector to buy British, to support our farmers and reduce environmental costs. To help meet this commitment, we will be consulting on proposals to strengthen the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services early in 2022. The consultation will seek views on ways to promote greater take-up of local produce and make public procurement more accessible to SMEs. We are also working across Government to identify and trial new approaches to public food procurement. This includes a pilot in collaboration with Crown Commercial Service, aimed at simplifying the route into the public sector for local and sustainable SME businesses. If successful, the approach will be rolled out nationally, extending opportunities to local food producers from all regions and nations of the UK.

National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations: Finance

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of thereport by the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations Brexit Balance Sheet,published on 30 September.

Lord Benyon: Now we have left the EU, we have taken back control of our waters, and we will always work hard to deliver sustainable and viable fishing opportunities for fishers across the UK. We have greater shares of fishing quota, and the total value of UK-EU fishing opportunities for the UK in 2021 is approximately £333 million – an increase of £27 million on last year. We have agreed a quota exchange mechanism and recently announced the first investment from our £100 million UK Seafood Fund to boost science and innovation in the industry.

Environment Protection: Public Consultation

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) when they will publish their response to the consultation on the environmental principles draft policy statement, and (2) why their response to that consultation has been delayed.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We will publish the response to the consultation on the Environmental principles draft policy statement later in the year. We received 216 responses to the consultation and have been considering them carefully over the summer and alongside the passage of the Environment Bill.

Waste Disposal

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) prosecutions, and (2) convictions, have been obtained in each of the last five years for discharging (a) general garbage, (b) plastic materials, and (c) fishing nets, into natural waters in England.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. In December 2018, we published the Resources and Waste Strategy, which sets out how we want to achieve this and move towards a circular economy while stamping out waste crime. We also committed in the Strategy to consult on measures such as Extended Producer Responsibility for fishing gear.The number of prosecutions and convictions on discharging (a) general garbage, (b) plastic materials, and (c) fishing nets, into natural waters in England are not centrally held in the court proceedings database as these specific offences are not separately defined in legislation. Identifying prosecutions and convictions for such actions would require a manual search of court records, which would incur disproportionate costs. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 it is an offence to litter or to knowingly cause or permit the unauthorised or harmful deposit, treatment or disposal of waste.Published figures for prosecutions and convictions for these offences are available in the Home Office code principal offence tool at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987731/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2020.xlsx It is important to note that these numbers include all prosecutions and convictions that fall within each offence category, beyond those specifically requested and beyond just natural waterways. Defra also publishes annual statistics for fly-tipping, which include enforcement actions. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england Under the Merchant Shipping Regulations on the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships (2020), the discharge of all garbage into the sea is prohibited with very limited exceptions. In all cases the discharge of plastic is prohibited. These regulations bring the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships (MARPOL Annex V) into UK law. No data has yet been collected for these regulations.

Livestock: Animal Welfare

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will end the use of cages for animals reared on British farms.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare. We are delivering a series of ambitious reforms, as outlined in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare which was published in May this year. The Action Plan for Animal Welfare is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/action-plan-for-animal-welfare and as an attachment to this answer. One of the ways we wish to improve the welfare of farm animals is strengthening protections against animal confinement. We have a strong track record for raising the bar when it comes to animal welfare. We want to improve and build upon that record and are currently exploring the options around introducing further cage reforms, in areas such as the use of farrowing crates for pigs and cages for laying hens. Ending the use of cages would have a significant impact on some sectors of the farming industry and so we would need to consult.Action Plan for Animal Welfare (pdf, 5996.9KB)

Home Office

Refugees: Afghanistan

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme is scheduled to open.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) is not yet open. Officials are working urgently to stand up the remaining elements of the scheme, amid the complex and changing picture.The Government will continue to work closely with other government departments, non-governmental organisations, charities, local authorities and other partners and relevant organisations in the development and implementation of the ACRS.

Afghanistan: Children

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take in response to reports that unaccompanied minors with family links to the UK were recently evacuated from Afghanistan and are currently in temporary accommodation in Qatar.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office is aware of a group of unaccompanied Afghan minors with family links to the UK in Qatar and officials are working closely with UNICEF and the US State Department to ensure the most appropriate outcomes for these children.Our priority is to ensure that the children will be safe and well cared for and to ensure any outcome is in the best interests of the children. Where it is deemed to be in the best interest of a child to come to the UK, suitable support arrangements will be made available.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will start operating the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme; whether they will establish a working group for its implementation; and if so, whether it will include the civil society organisations funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to develop the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and other related programmes in Afghanistan.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) is not yet open. Officials are working urgently to stand up the remaining elements of the scheme, amid the complex and changing picture.The Government will continue to work closely with other government departments, non-governmental organisations, charities, local authorities and other partners and relevant organisations in the development and implementation of the ACRS.

Asylum: Standards

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) number, and (2) proportion, of asylum claims made before August had been awaiting an interview for more than (a) 6 months, (b) a year, and (c) two years.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office does not publish this data as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Therefore, the Home Office is unable to state the number and proportion of asylum claims made before August, awaiting interview for more than 6 months, a year and two years.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Buildings: Safety

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve building safety.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Building Safety Bill was introduced on 5 July 2021 and began Public Committee on 9 September. Alongside the Fire Safety Act, the Building Safety Bill implements the key recommendations of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and will drive the regulatory, cultural and behavioural changes needed to make sure people are safe in their homes and that residents are at the heart of the new, robust system.The Bill will strengthen the regulatory system for the built environment based upon the principles of safety and proportionality. It will make sure there is greater accountability and responsibility for fire and structural safety issues throughout the lifecycle of higher-risk buildings within the scope of a more stringent regime. The Bill also paves the way for a National Regulator for Construction Products with a UK wide remit to enforce the law, encourage good practice and educate the industry.

Social Rented Housing

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many new homes were provided for social rent by (1) councils, and (2) housing associations, in each of the last three financial years.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing of a variety of tenures so that we can support a range of people in different circumstances and stages in their lives. We’re investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. Since 2010, we’ve delivered over 542,400 new affordable homes, including over 382,300 affordable homes for rent, of which over 149,400 homes for social rent.The table below shows the number of new social rent homes delivered in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 by provider. The figures include both new build and acquisitions of existing dwellings for affordable housing. Local AuthorityPrivate Registered ProvidersNon-registered ProvidersUnknownAll2017-181,4574,5992844026,7422018-191,7464,001735176,3372019-201,7654,231735756,644

Planning Permission: Public Participation

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support public participation in the planning process.

Lord Greenhalgh: We have given many communities direct power to shape the development of their areas through neighbourhood planning, and we have invested £31million supporting local communities to get over 1000 neighbourhood plans in place. The National Model Design Code, published in July, shows how design codes based on genuine community involvement can let local people have a real say in the design of new homes and neighbourhoods.Looking beyond this, we are considering the next steps for planning reform, and will announce our next steps on this in due course.

Affordable Housing: Construction

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the supply of affordable housing.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decadeThis includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme (AHP), which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow. We’re committed to delivering affordable homes of a variety of tenures so that we can support a range of people in different circumstances and stages in their lives.   Since 2010, we’ve delivered over 542,400 new affordable homes, including over 382,300 affordable homes for rent, of which over 149,400 homes are for social rent. The new Affordable Homes Programme will deliver more than double the social rent than the current programme, with around 32,000 social rent homes due to be delivered.   Approximately half of the homes delivered will be for affordable home ownership, supporting aspiring homeowners to take their first step on to the housing ladder. As part of this new programme, in August 2021 we announced a £8.6 billion funding package to build 119,000 affordable homes to boost home ownership and build the homes the country needs.   Nearly 90 partnerships across England, including councils, housing associations and private providers, successfully bid for a share of the cash. Supporting our levelling up agenda, nearly £5.2 billion of this will be spent outside of London and 75% of the 119,000 new homes will be built outside London.

Derelict Land

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the total number of Brownfield sites available for use in England.

Lord Greenhalgh: My Department's analysis of data from local authority websites, including brownfield land registers, suggests that there are over 28,000 hectares of developable brownfield land across England, enough for at least a million dwellings. It should be noted, however, that brownfield land registers record only a subset of brownfield land: only that which is regarded as being suitable for housing and where certain criteria have been met.   The most relevant and up-to-date statistics published by the department are its Land use in England 2018 figures, which are available (attached) in several spreadsheets at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use.  These tables include regional breakdowns.Land Use live table (xlsx, 5121.1KB)

Poverty

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relative importance of (1) improving health and education, and (2) increasing GDP per capita, in reducing poverty in the UK.

Lord Greenhalgh: Increasing GDP per capita leads to higher individual income on average, though its impact on poverty will depend on how that increase is distributed. If there is a real terms increase in household incomes for those at the bottom of the income distribution, this reduces the number of people in absolute poverty. Higher household incomes for those at the bottom would also reduce the number of people in relative poverty, if the household incomes for those at the bottom of the income distribution were to increase relative to the median household income.For example, from 2010 to 2019, GDP per capita grew by 10.4%. Over a similar period, from 2009-10 to 2019-20, the number of people in absolute poverty before housing costs fell by 700,000, and the number of people in relative poverty before housing costs increased by 1.4 million.As our economic recovery gathers pace, we are continuing to help people to move into and to progress in work through our expanded Plan for Jobs. Our approach is based on clear evidence that work, particularly full time, is the most effective way of tackling poverty. In 2019/20, working age adults in households where all adults were in work were 6 times less likely to be in absolute poverty (after housing costs) than adults in a household where nobody works.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Lord Tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Greenhalgh on 29 September (HL2635),what period the agreed full cost support for local authorities to implement the voter ID provisions in the Elections Bill will cover.

Lord Greenhalgh: These costs will be covered by Central Government under the New Burdens doctrine, until such time as they can be mainstreamed into the grants provided to Local Authorities in accordance with usual practice.

Constitutions and Devolution: Departmental Responsibilities

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government who has replaced Chloe Smith MP as the Minister in the Cabinet Office responsible for the Constitution and Devolution; and in particular, for the work on Common Frameworks.

Lord Greenhalgh: Following the recent Government reshuffle, Neil O’Brien MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has taken on the role of Minister for Levelling Up, the Union and the Constitution. As part of this role, Minister O’Brien has assumed responsibility for the Union and Constitution, including the Common Frameworks programme.

Fracking: Planning Permission

Baroness Grender: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have blocked planning permission for new oil drilling extraction sites in the UK over the past five years; and if so, (1) how many permissions they have refused, (2) when these were refused, and (3) where the application sites were located.

Lord Greenhalgh: All questions of planning permission for oil drilling extraction sites in the last 5 years have been local planning matters. Therefore central government has not made decisions on this. As planning is a devolved matter, this answer relates to England only.

Tenants: Loans

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to establish interest free, government-guaranteed hardship loans to support housing tenants with debts incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Greenhalgh: The UK Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support which is available to tenants.We have targeted our interventions as non-repayable forms of support, which offer a sustainable form of support for vulnerable renters, and do not encourage more debt.As emergency measures are lifted, support continues to be in place for renters through the welfare system. Local housing allowance rates have been maintained at their increased level in cash terms in 2021/22, meaning claimants renting in the private rented sector continue to benefit from the significant increase in the local housing allowance rates applied in April 2020. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. For 2021-22 the Government has made £140 million available in DHP funding, building on the £180m provided last year.The Government has also introduced a new £500 million Household Support Fund which will support millions of households in England who need it most, including for example to meet daily needs such as food, clothing and utilities. Households will continue to benefit from the energy price cap and increases in the National Living Wage.As our recovery gathers pace, the government is continuing to help people into work and increase their earning potential – the most sustainable route to financial security. We’re investing billions through our Plan for Jobs and the Lifetime Skills Guarantee.We continue to monitor the effectiveness of other examples of support, such as those from the devolved administrations in the UK, and note that uptake for loan support has been relatively low in Scotland and Wales.

Treasury

Workplace Pensions: Public Sector

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what rate of interest is applied to refunds of public sector workers’ partner pension contributions if the pension holder retires without a partner, and (2) how much money has been refunded to such pension holders for each of the past ten years.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Partner pension contributions are refunded with interest to members of the Classic section of the PCSPS when they leave at or after age 60 with immediate payment of pension in full if they neither married nor entered a civil partnership throughout their service, or in part for members who have been married or in a civil partnership for part of their service. The interest rate applied is currently 0.25%. Partner pension contributions can also be refunded in the 1981 Judicial Pension Scheme and the Judicial Pension Scheme 1993 (JUPRA). The interest rate applied in the 1981 Judicial Pension Scheme is 4% while the interest rates used in JUPRA follow those in the PCSPS. Data on refunds in the PCSPS in the years from 2015 to 2021 (year to date) is as follows: YearTotal paid as WPS refund2015£26,939,123.322016£30,835,627.792017£26,790,088.992018£25,628,031.082019£25,314,289.972020£20,698,765.322021£19,692,619.50 Refunds in years prior to 2015 occurred under a previous administrative arrangement and so data could only be collected to a longer timeline. Similarly, administrators for the judicial pension schemes do not keep cumulative records of refunds awarded by year, and the second part of the question could thus only be answered to a longer timeline.

Individual Savings Accounts

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how much money has been invested in individual savings accounts (ISAs) in total, (2) how muchmoney has been invested in ISAs by different age groups, (3) how many individuals have invested in ISAs, and (4) what is the average amount invested in ISAs per person.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: HMRC produces an Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) tables document as part of its Annual savings statistics publication on Gov.uk. The amount invested in ISAs, how many individuals have invested in ISAs and the average amount invested in ISAs is in table 9.4. This information is on a per account basis; individuals may sign up to multiple ISA accounts. The number of individuals that have invested in ISAs and average amount invested per person for the 2018 to 2019 tax year can be found in table 9.11. An age breakdown of the money invested in ISAs can only be made available at a disproportionate cost. However, table 9.11 gives a breakdown of ISA market values by age.The ISA Tables are found on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics  Table 9.4 (pdf, 373.1KB)Table 9.1.1 (pdf, 370.3KB)

Care Homes: Older People

Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey will introducesavings incentives to help people pay for elderly care.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The government is committed to both supporting individuals at all stages of life to save and delivering world-leading health and social care across the whole of the UK. The government already provides extensive support to individuals to save for retirement and later life. Individuals are currently able to save up to £20,000 each year across the four types of Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), which offer a range of mechanisms to save or invest tax-free. This includes the Lifetime ISA which allows savers to benefit from a 25% government bonus on up to £4,000 of savings each year and supports saving towards later life. These savings, including the government bonus, can be withdrawn from the age of 60 and may be used to pay for care. And more broadly, for the majority of savers, pension contributions made from income during working life is tax-free. Investment growth of assets in a pension scheme is also not subject to tax and, from age 55 (or when scheme rules allow a pension to be taken), up to 25 per cent of the pension can be taken tax-free, depending on scheme rules.